Organic Handpicked Midori 1st Flush Shincha Green Tea Review - 2013 VS 2014! Hajime!

Edited post on the 22nd of August 2014 for the new tea blog

First and foremost, sorry for the formatting issues... I tried to make this post with Microsoft Word first thinking it would be easier (and it was!) and then copy pasted the whole thing. Some cutesy items didn't show up much to my disappointment and some columns are not like they ought to appear (mainly because I selected "no borders" to start with!). I could not fix any of them! So there. *bows very low*

Here's what the teas I will now review look like:

2013 on the left and 2014 on the right - two very beautiful packages!

I recently received both the 2013 (after a lucky mistake - for me) and 2014 Organic Hanpicked Midor 1st Flush Shincha from yunomi.us. When I contacted the website, Mr. Ian Chun, a very nice and able man even proposed that I could compare them. It was a fantastic idea! He said that by now my 2013 Shincha would be considered "aged". It is still good (and since I tea cupped it, I can very much agree to that), just older and will depreciate faster once open. I actually did prefer the 2013 for the first steeping. It had this peachy taste mixed with exotic fruits that I really didn't expect... and something fishy!

Now a little bit of information before we begin…

What is Shincha?

Shincha is the very first Sencha of the year. The first one picked in the first month of harvesting. But that’s not all; instead of being put in cold storage like the other Sencha, it is packed and sold right away making it a prized tea for its freshness and its young flavour!

The harvesting time starts in early spring and this 2014 Shincha was made available for purchase on the 16^th of May this year on the yunomi.us website. By the way, you can get a 15% off on this year’s Shincha if you enter the code shincha15.

It is already June and you may wonder what took me so long to tea cup the tea? Very simple, newly discovered pollen allergies and a cold. You can’t taste or smell anything with a stuffed nose! Luckily, a pharmacist hinted that I may have pollen allergies and I made the decision to try Reactin for allergies and I think it worked. The cold is gone. Also, to top it off, I wanted to make sure of my results, so I tea cupped twice. Then I did something wrong with the 2014 Shincha and had to tea cup it a 3^rd time. Then I remembered I ate something a bit fruity about 10-15 minutes before trying the first batch and wondered if my results had been influenced by it. I had to tea cup again. I had to fit thing in between stuffed nose episodes, so there you have it! Sorry for the wait and thank you for your patience! Without further ado, I present to you

2013 VS 2014!

Organic Handpicked Midori 1^st Flush Shincha from the Shizuoka Prefecture

2013	2014
Dry Leaves:	Dry Leaves:
– Mellow, sweet, it has warmth and a green aroma	– Asparagus, sweet, smooth and more vibrant than 2013
– White chocolate brownie aroma with melted white chocolate	– Creamy buttery greens aroma
– Has a bit of a duller medium-dark green colour to it, but still a bit shiny	– Shinier medium-dark green colour giving the impression it’s of lighter colour (it isn’t)
– Long dark green needles amidst shorter ones with some lighter green needles and big particles	– Long dark green needles with some lighter green ones (no particles!)
– More astringent aroma like ripped tree leaves	– Sweet fruity aroma like berries
– Spinach, more pungent than 2014

1^st Steeping 一煎目

Sorry for the pieces of leaves, I forgot to take pictures the first time and did a shot of cupping for the sake of making pictures and I used a slightly different method of steeping (it should hold the same results) and some pieces fell in.

Steeping method (Senchado technique (Kyusu)):

5g of tea – 2 minutes – 80ml (1/3 cup) of water – 60°C

Liquor:	Liquor:
– Clear and shiny	– Clear and shiny
– Lighter, yellow-green colour with particles at the bottom	– Slightly darker yellow-green with small dust particles at the bottom
– Cream of buttered spinach nose	– More vibrant cream of spinach aroma

Taste:	Taste:
– Green Umami attack which tapers off quickly	– Mellow sweet green grass attack that tapers off more quickly than 2013
– Peach, buttered greens and something that feels like metal (mussels?) which lingers	– Buttery and white chocolate finish
– Sweet, mellow and almost creamy	– Some astringency
– Almost no bitterness	– Mellow sweet green attack
– Exotic fruit (papaya?), peachy aftertaste	– Flowery
– Very mild astringency	– Some bitterness

2^nd Steeping 二煎目

Steeping method (Senchado technique (Kyusu)):

5g of tea – 15 seconds – 80ml (1/3 cup) of water – 65°C

Liquor:	Liquor:
– More dusty and murky	– Has a lot of dust particles floating about and is murky as well
– Nice buttery greens nose – Medium straw yellow colour	– Vibrant buttery greens – Medium green-yellow colour

Taste:	Taste:
– More astringent	– Smoother in taste
– More bitter which is slightly unpleasant to me who likes sweet things	– Mellower and smoother bitterness which is way more pleasant than 2013
– Light exotic fruits and peach with mussels aftertaste – Pleasant green Sencha taste (I know this sounds generic, but if you drink enough Sencha, you know what I mean.)	– Pleasant green Sencha taste (I know this sounds generic, but if you drink enough Sencha, you know what I mean.)

Here are what the wet leaves look like. I couldn’t tell the difference except that 2014 looks a little paler, but when mixed with buttery margarine, honey and shôyu, it was still too bitter to eat! Maybe I should have over-steeped them to remove the bitterness!

It seems that the 2013 is more to my liking than the 2014… that is, in general. The first steeping gave me quite a shock with the 2014 compared to 2013, as the 2013 was mellower and sweeter and 2014 more vivid, vibrant and like chewing fresh green leaves. 2013 also developed peachy and mussels flavours in aftertaste which I became quite fond of.
The 2014 was not bad per se, it is younger in taste (especially in the 1^ststeeping) but it might just be because the 2013 is deemed “aged”. 2014 offers a very pleasant 2^nd steeping cup that is smoother than the 2013. However, I was not able to find anything really peculiar in the 2014… either there was a too intense Sencha green tea taste or it wasn’t strong enough for me to find it or it just didn’t have that little something 2013 had. One thing for sure, I will also age this 2014 Shincha and if I remember, will do a single review on it with a link back to this review.

2013 wins but 2014 is still worth its weight in ¥en!

Additional editing:
I felt my review was a bit harsh, so I decided to add a little more:
To do both teas justice, I am not a big fan of Sencha teas labelled as Sencha (because Gyokuro IS a Sencha per definition as "shaded tea"). They are usually too green and the attack too strong for my delicate palate that just wants smooth and sweet things with very little astringency and bitterness if any.

As a Sencha, I believe these two products were pretty good. Excellent? I wouldn't venture in that direction as I am no expert on Sencha and am just giving my 2 cents. Someone who is really into Sencha might like them greatly as the 2014 is very fresh and the 2013 sort of vintage which is very interesting in flavours.
End of the edited part.

Next time, I would like to do a Barley Tea cupping (which would, in fact, be an herbal tea). I have 3 small tea bags of 10g of Hida Mugicha Barley Tea. I want to give you a hot and a cold review since summer is coming and cold Barley Tea is much appreciated during that time in Japan!

Nan Mei Wild Tree - White Tea Review & Tea on the skin

Edited post on the 22nd of August 2014 for the new tea blog

Let's start with the Tea on the skin part...
I bought at Canadian Superstore (a while ago) 2 Demeter Cologne Spray bottles. One is Dragon Fruit and the other is Green Tea.

I recently visited the Demeter website (http://www.demeterfragrance.com/) and looked up a great deal of their selection. A few where about teas and tisane so I rounded up what I found!

From Demeter website

I've only tried the Green Tea one, but I can assure you it's nice. If you like light and sweet (and tea!) that's a great choice. It even got a 5 stars rating!

From Demeter website

Then there is the Earl Grey one. I'm really curious about this one, but reviews say 3 stars and half. I guess it means it's not for everyone and may annoy you. Unless you really dig Earl Grey tea.

From Demeter website

Chai tea can be customized in so many ways that I really don't know what to expect of this fragrance... I've had some Masala chai with chili peppers and Bailey's in it. So it makes me wonder how spicy and milky this one smells. Again, a rating of 3 stars and a half. I wish I could sample it... Smelling like Chai tea sounds wonderful!

From Demeter website

Now onto the tisane (herbal tea) section! Coriander has had a better rating than the Earl Grey and  Chai Teas with 4 stars! Coriander isn't for everyone and if I'm not mistaken that's the herb they put in my beloved Pho soups (Vietnamese type of soup)! I don't know if I'd like to wear that and my husband totally hates the stuff, but I totally get a kick out of trying something new! Hop! On my wishlist!

From Demeter website

Chamomile Tea is great at helping you relax whenever, but especially taken before bed. With a rating of 4 stars, I would most likely buy it to spray on my sleeping pillow. That would be a change from the lavender one I've used for years. Spraying (or imbibing!) a little cushion-pouch with it and then slipping it under your pillow would be a fantastic idea. I'm sold!

Demeter has a WIDE range of smells, from funeral house, to soil, to provence meadows... It's also a good gift for a mom that loves flowers as they have such a great selection! Lilac smells so heavenly! Too bad the fragrance doesn't fit me. I can still use it for the bathroom or as normal air freshener though.

And now, that white tea review you've been waiting for!

Nan Mei Wild Tree

China - Lincang region - Nan Mei valley
Purchased at the Camellia Sinensis

Given description on the website:
Grassy & peppery fragrances emanate from the infusion and its silky smooth liquor is citrusy, a characteristic flavour of wild tea. The minty finish is pleasant and refreshing.

Side note: When I will mention pepper and pepperiness as tasting or aroma notes, it's meant as a peppercorn kind of pepper, not a bell pepper.

Dry leaf:

• They look like open flowers, shaped like blades (that of a partisan or naginata)
• Each set of leaves has a bunch of leaves that look like they have grown inside one another like some Russian dolls sets (I've never seen tea leaves looking like that!)
• Fuzzy white duvet covers the light green-peach coloured leaves
• The leaves sets are hard at the base, but soft and tender at the tip
• They smell of hay, mint, green apples and sweet yellow tobacco (dried)

1st Steeping (一煎目):
45 seconds - 1 gaiwan filled with water - 3 tablespoons of tea - 75C
(Gaiwan technique)

Liquor:

• Clear and shiny
• Very pale yellow-peach colour. It looks like water to the unknowing eye...
• Peppery, dry hay, almost peachy smooth kind of smell. There is a sweetness like some mild smelling flowers... I'm thinking of edible flowers like orchids or something
• Sweet-sour juicy aroma like a pineapple/green apple mix

Taste:

• Peppery like pepper Jelly Bellys (I really can't shake that Jelly Belly taste now - For those who don't know them, they were part of the Bertie Bott's every flavoured beans from the Harry Potter movies, Jelly Belly tried to sell those and they had other flavours like grass, troll boogers, vomit, earthworms and green apple among other things)
• Mild, smooth and sweet flavour with a definite spiciness to it
• Flowing and somehow mouth watering
• It also reminds me of the grass jelly bellies (I guess I have a sweet tooth and strange tastes)
• The pepperiness really lingers at the back of the throat
• There's a mint finish, but I had to do a second cupping to notice it
• There's also that citrus taste, but it's more of a bitter citrus one like yuzu (Japanese citrus fruit)

2nd Steeping (二煎目):
30 seconds - 1 gaiwan filled with water - 3 tablespoons of tea - 75C
(Gaiwan technique)

Liquor:

• Clear & shiny
  
• Light pale yellow-peach colour
•  Peppery-lemongrass aroma
• Weak sweet exotic fruit aroma

Taste:

• Light astringency
• Peppery, light lemongrass flavours that linger
• Light hay flavour
• Sweet, smooth, lightly viscous, coating the back of the throat

3rd Steeping (三煎目):
30 seconds - 1 gaiwan filled with water - 3 tablespoons of tea - 75C
(Gaiwan technique)

Liquor:

• Clear & Shiny
• Very pale yellow-peach colour
• Lemongrass and light pepper aromas

Taste:

• Light pepperiness, some lemongrass spiciness and light hay flavours
• Smooth, milder in taste
• Coats the mouth
• Light sweet-sour fruit in cheek that is pleasant
• Lingering minty finish

My reaction? "Love love it." It's a fantastic white tea. It's flavourful and complex. A real treat!
I gave it a 4.5/5 and I was being modest about it.

Now the wet leaves were interesting enough to also have a little mention here:
The fat little buds of light green to medium green colours are now tinged with a brown to deep red colour that is truly beautiful. And the smell! Oh, the smell! It smells wonderfully of lemongrass, maybe a bit of exotic fruits and definitely has a spiciness to it. As I mentioned, the citrusy part is more that of the yuzu fruit. It's not a sweet citrus aroma.

If you are interested in trying it out, the Camellia Sinensis sells it (that's where I got it from), they have a nice selection of white teas this year, so indulge!
Nan Mei Wild Tree White Tea Link

On this tea note, see you next time for a comparison between 2013 handpicked Shincha (still unopened) VS 2014 handpicked Shincha (just released and received)!

Uji Sencha & Premium Matcha (Hoshino Seicha-en) - Green Tea Reviews

Edited post on the 22nd of August 2014 for the new tea blog

Double review today!

Uji Sencha from yunomi.us and Premium Matcha from MATSU KAZE!

Let's go!

For this Uji Sencha, I presume it is from a 2013 harvest since I bought during Fall 2013 and yunomi.us keeps their tea up to date -- until a new harvest of that same tea comes to overthrow the old one! Long live the newer teas!

There is something unusual to this one. You cannot purchase it as a stand-alone product. Nope! I forgot because I mixed up my packages in the box (which I kept because I lack storage). Or rather, I didn't pay attention to the fact that his one is part of a set. A Studying set.
So basically, It's a random tea to help you develop your tea cupping capabilities!
It's from this study set here and can be found here: Yunomi Study Set 101

From the yunomi.us website (see link above!)

Now that you know and this is out of the way, here is the review on this green tea:

Uji Sencha

sold by yunomi.us

  

Dry leaf:

• Dark green with about 5% of light green leaves
• Flat needles, no powder but some particles
• Aroma of white creamy chocolate with milk chocolate (think Lindt chocolates)
• A bit of a green vegetative smell, but mostly, it smells like chocolate!

1st Steeping (一煎目):
~30 seconds -- 1 medium teacup of water (~125ml) -- 1 tablespoon -- 80C (I used 78C)
(Senchado technique)

Liquor:

• Creamy colour (not opaque but not clear either), some dust still visible at the bottom but it's blurry
• Colour is medium green-yellowish turning toward a peach colour slightly
• Buttery greens aroma with hints of rich white chocolate
• Almost soapy after-smell
• Light hay-like aroma

Taste:

• Smooth, sweet green attack that dissipates quickly and then replaced with a sweet buttery taste
• A little astringency
• Light buttery bitterness that's pleasant
• Tasting notes dissipate quickly, they're quite ephemeral
• Flowing, liquid, not much viscosity aside from the buttery feeling

2nd Steeping (二煎目):
~10 seconds -- 1 medium teacup of water (~125ml) -- the same 1 tablespoon -- 80C (Senchado technique)

Liquor:

• Almost opaque, much darker than the 1st steeping, some dust still visible at the bottom, but the whole liquor is quite blurry
• Darker (than 1st steeping) medium green-yellow colour, more green than yellow
• Shiny liquor
• A milder buttery green taste (compared to 1st steeping) with hints of white chocolate soapiness (it's not disagreeable, trust me)
• Hay-like in taste

Taste: (You'll be happy!)

• A milder buttery greens taste (compared to 1st steeping) but with hints of white chocolate!
• Almost watery, flowing, liquid
• Less smooth (than 1st steeping) with a little astringency
• Mild but pleasant bitterness
• Fuller in the mouth, but buttery as well! Yum!

3rd Steeping (三煎目):
~30 seconds -- 1 medium teacup of water (~125ml) -- the same 1 tablespoon -- 80C (Senchado technique)

Liquor:

• Dark-medium green-yellow colour
• Opaque but shiny
• Sweet, almost flowery, buttery greens and hay-ish aroma

Taste:

• Astringent! Astringency attack! Woah!
• Green bitterness that isn't so pleasant...

And so, the rating would have been 7/10, but because of the disappointing 3rd steeping, I give it a 6.7/10. I wouldn't call it an impressive tea, but because of the chocolate smell and taste, it makes it way awesomer! A definite "I wanna try!"

******      ******      ******      ******      ******       ******      ******       ******      ******

I had the pleasure to try this Premium Matcha from MATSU KAZE at a Japanese Green Tea Event with Michiko Ono in Calgary.
Here is the link to the Japanese Tea Tasting Events
Now, I paid $15 because I'm not a member of the center, but on her website, it says $35. I don't know if she raised her prices. I'm not aware that she did so maybe it's a typo. If you are in Calgary (or coming to Calgary), just send her an email and ask her (besides you need to contact her to reserve anyway). Even at $35, it's still completely worth it! And that local pastry chef... I have to know who that person is! Those pastries are DELICIOUS!

Anyway, this Matcha is pretty good but after trying it the original way, the way I used to make it kinda tastes like water! (laugh)

Well, let's see what's the review on it then...

Premium Matcha

From the region of Hoshino Seicha-en, Fukuoka Prefecture

Imported and sold by MATSU KAZE
--->Link to Premium Match at MATSU KAZE

Now I'm wondering, do you guys know that Matcha is de-veined and de-stemmed Gyokuro -- known as Tencha -- that is grounded into a fine powder? It is. It takes quite a long time to produce a lot of Matcha because you don't want to burn the tea, so you have to grind it slowly. One webpage I found says it takes 1 hour for 40 grams of Matcha to be produced.
Michiko Ono tells of her experience grinding it manually when she was in Japan last year. You can read it here (it has lots of pictures with captions, something I kind of lack on my own blog...):
Michiko Ono's Matcha grinding experience

And because I like to be thorough, here are the specs for this Matcha:
High grade, handpicked leaves are used. This is a specialty of the Yame region. It meets the high standards of Japanese tea ceremony masters. Sounds good to me!

Dry leaf:

• Nice rich medium bug-green colour
• Fine powder
• Chocolate and buttery greens aroma

Original preparation method (no steeping, only whisking) as instructed by MATSU KAZE:
2 grams of powder or 1 teaspoon -- 60-70 ml (1/4 cup) -- 80C
By the way, I used 1/4 cup to be more precise.

Premium Matcha from MATSUKAZEtea.com

Premium Matcha powder from MATSUKAZEtea.com

Liquor:

• Dark jade colour
• Very thick with pale jade green foam
• Smells buttery, sweet with a mild greenness to it, it kind of lost most of its chocolate aroma

Taste:

•  Very intense
•  Green attack that tapers off smoothly
• Green Gyokuro taste (obviously), it has an asparagus taste that lingers on and on
• Slight bitterness and astringency
• Somehow, it tastes powdery (probably due to the high amount of tea in the water)

At first, I thought there was too little water for the humongous amount of tea. I contacted Michiko who assured me that this is the way they do it during the tea ceremony in Japan. My version has more water and less tea and I used to like it that way, but after tasting this way, I cannot get over the fact that my version is too watery now! So I compared two different methods, one with a little more water and a bit less tea and my method which has way more water... I'll put my method up.

My technique (no steeping, only whisking):
2 big bamboo scoops (chashaku) of Matcha - 3/4 cup of water - 60C

Liquor:

• A nice thick pale jade foam covers the surface, below the liquid is dark jade green
• Creamy greens, buttery, asparagus, chlorophyll and snow peas aroma and maybe a hint of white chocolate
• It smells like those green tea chocolates from Melty Kiss
  

Flickr picture

 Taste:

• Smooth like drinking those thick hot chocolate drinks made from melted chocolate milk, just not as thick of course, don't get your expectations that high! ;)
• Green but mild in a comforting way
• Mellow and sweet, the creaminess lingers at the end of the mouth

• It feels so watery compared to the original way of preparing it! TT^TT

After comparing both, I have to admit the original way is better.... but I get more with less tea from mine so I can keep on drinking it for a little while longer before I run out...

Anecdote: After drinking the first bowl of Matcha (the one made the original way), I rinsed my mouth so I would taste more of my version, the second "steeping". I had to rinse my mouth 4 times until water I spit wasn't green anymore! It felt like rinsing rice... It totally coated my mouth.
It made me think that a few centuries away, nobles used to paint their teeth black. Maybe they actually didn't have to! Maybe they drank Matcha all the time until it coated their teeth a dark green hue! (laugh)

Probably not. But I like to imagine things like that. I like to think most people do, they just don't say it out loud. I hope or else I might just be crazy... :S

That's it!

For next time I was thinking of covering something different but still related to tea (and herbal teas this time!).
Brace yourself for it's going to be it's intriguing! Mostly for the non-tea related products that are made by this company, but since I cover the tea part, it's okay, right?

See you next time!

Volunteering at a Japanese Cultural event and meeting with Michiko Ono of MATSU KAZE

Edited post on the 22nd of August 2014 for the new tea blog

Then I volunteered for a Japanese event in Calgary last month and I learned how to mochi! They tasted so good! I tried to make some at home and they were better than I ever was able to make them. Thanks to their teaching me! (+1)

At the Japanese event I volunteered, I met with Michiko Ono again. She is the owner of Matsu Kaze, an online shop that specializes in Japanese tea. Last year, I enjoyed a Japanese tea tasting event with her. For some reason all the other guests didn't show up and it was just me and my husband. It was personal and we really enjoyed it! We brewed about 5 different green teas (plus delicious sweets) which got my husband really into tea now (yay! +1!). When we met this 2nd time, we talked about new arrivals on her website and I was pleased to learn most of the things I was eager to get will be there within a few months. I want a mini kyushu tea pot for making gyokuro tea (the smaller the teapot, the better!) and tea from a region in Japan where a volcano spreads its ashes on the leaves of the tea, giving it a peculiar taste. I'm thinking Nagoya, but I'm pretty sure I'm wrong. I'll write more on this once I get my hands on it. In the meantime, you can wait with me by looking at her shop from time to time. Here is the link: MATSU KAZE - Authentic Fine Japanese Green Tea
During the event, Michiko talked about the tea ceremony and it brought to mind the delicious Matcha tea I bought from her. Once her event was finished, I approached her and we talked about it. It's a Premium Matcha and has a very interesting taste. I thought that next time, I should do a review of this tea. If you are interested, it's the Premium Matcha on page 2 of her website, but there'll be time to check that in more details next time!

I wanted to review for you today Uji Sencha, but I just noticed, there is no info as to the year, region or farm it's from on the package. I fear it's not enough for me to write a good review for you guys if I don't even know where my tea comes from! Hopefully, I'll get the info soon.
Since this review is already written, I might do it before the Matcha one which has not been noted yet in my tea book. It's one thing to enjoy a tea, another to take the time to dutifully write notes about it. I'm much more of a slacker when it comes to just tasting the tea. I just enjoy sips and gulps. When I tea cup a tea, I slurp it from a spoon, then I try a sip from the cup as well as the impression is different with both techniques and I want to make sure I get the most information out of it. I also don't put so much attention into the aroma and colour when I just drink it normally. I could care less about the colour as long as it's not strange and for the smell, I just go "mmh~ Smells nice" which wouldn't be good in a review! Hehehe~

Sorry to disappoint you! I'll get to it once I get a reply from the website I bought it from!

See ya soon!

Yellow tea review (wow wow!) Jun Shan Huang Mao Jian

Edited post on the 22nd of August 2014 for the new tea blog

Today is special! I review a type of tea that is often forgotten. Some say it doesn't exist... I beg to differ, you unbelievers!
Yellow tea is very real, very rare and precious...

I bought a few yellow teas from the Camellia Sinensis Store in Montreal and I thought my blog -- and you guys -- deserved to get a yellow tea review!

Without further ado, here it comes! Slowly, mellowly and deliciously:

Jun Shan Huang Mao Jian

from the Chinese gardens of Jun Shan Island, sold by the Camellia Sinensis store in Montreal

 http://camellia-sinensis.com/en/jun-shan-huang-mao-jian

This tea was processed in the Mao Jian style as stated in the name.

Dry leaf:

• Curled twisted leaves
• White fuzzy leaves amongst dark green ones
• Light mimosa flower smell, with a hint of peach and cream
• Creamy sweetness to it with honey wax scent

Steeping method: teapot (500ml / 2 cups yield)

5 minutes - 2 cups (500 ml) of water - 3 teaspoons of tea - 80C

Liquor: 

• Clear and shiny with a creamy viscosity to it
• Fragrant
• Light peach/ apricot, creamy smell
• Soapy mimosa smell, hay and sweet notes
• Yellow-hay colour

Taste:

• Clear taste, light sourness
• Sweet, no bitterness
• Flowery aftertaste reminding me of rose petals and how they almost feel bitter but aren't
• Light jammy feeling like raspberry or strawberry jam (as opposed to jellies)
• Some astringency
• Hay with some light mineral or metallic taste but that could have been me and not the tea as I've had this tea before and don't recall any metallic taste
• Smooth in the mouth
• Taste is light and delicate like a white tea and long in mouth
• Round and flowing
• Ascending notes that dissipate quickly into a less complex taste
• Mild spices like cinnamon and vanilla final
• Mild greenness to it

Wet leaf:

• Uncurled buds, some bud and 1 leaf duos
• Creamy medium yellow-green colour
• Chocolatey, cinnamon, asparagus, green, and mild spices smell

 I like yellow teas very much. If you like white teas and don't mind that they are so delicate this could be for you. Let me just make one thing clear: some say white teas lack flavour, and it can be true depending on the quality of white teas you've had... I had the chance to compare different qualities of the same tea; lower-end white teas do lack flavours. However, it is something that is less likely to happen (in my opinion) with yellow teas as they are already hard to get. Small farms will produce them and the yield is usually pretty small. So what I think is that very little tea selling shops will go to the trouble of sourcing them if they aren't of good quality as they tend to be rather pricy, both for the tea shop owner and the customer... but so worth it! I once had a yellow tea (not this one) that tasted different every time I had it (in a zhong). Once it even tasted like gingerbread and I fell in love with it. Maybe I will review it someday, but that one is very pricy as well so you'll all have to be patient!

I would say that compared to white teas, yellow teas are a bit stronger in taste, and may offer a broader palette of flavours and aromas, but are as delicate.

Happy tasting and may you end up with amazing discoveries...

Imari Sencha Imperial 2013 - The delicacy of the month - Green Tea Review

Edited post on the 22nd of August 2014 for the new tea blog

Four days, two posts. Not bad, right? I'll be starting class again next week, but by now I want to review another tea!

Yesterday I tested (my papilla are still very happy) the Imari Sencha Imperial 2013 by Chakoan. Right from the start, I'll let you know; I gave it 4.9/5!
Why is it .1 away from perfection? Because I still hope there is something better yet to come!

I've had delicious teapots of already prepared Gyokuro Tamahomare at the Camellia Sinensis Tea house and since it's a very expensive tea, I've been hoping to find its equal, in a more affordable format. Little did I know I would find it in a Sencha! I simply love this newly discovered tea and will make sure my house never runs out of it.

Here are my notes on it...

Imari Shencha Imperial 2013

by Chakoan

Dry leaf:

• Smells like vibrant, very green, fresh cut grass and chocolate truffles
• Fine needles, a few of them larger and flatter
• The leaves are mostly dark green colour with the larger bits being medium green
• Barely springy, breaks easily

1st Steeping Senchado technique
1.5 minutes - ~ 30 ml teacup of water - 2 heaped teaspoons - 80C

Liquor:

• Light yellow-green colour
• Little specks are floating on the surface
• Not completely clear, but shiny
• Smells like buttery chocolate (I guess like butter icing), warm rich truffles, seaweed and green
• Intense like a good Gyokuro Tamahomare (It's that name again!)
• Sweet buttery smell, vanilla
• Aromatic and generous

Liquor:

• Cooked veggies, asparagus, vegetal, almost like almonds
• Light bitterness in the back of the mouth that is truly delicious
• Buttery asparagus, seaweed, sweet, umami
• A little astringent, oily, flowing with a roundness in mouth
• Smooth and thick, it is ample, full and long in the mouth

Wet leaves:

• Nice medium unfurled leaves, small pieces are found mixed amongst them
• Shiny and soft-looking
• Buttery asparagus smell that is almost mineral

2nd Steeping Senchado technique
30 seconds - ~ 30 ml teacup of water - the same 2 heaped teaspoons - 80C

Liquor:

• A greener-yellow colour compared to the first steeping
• Little specks are still found floating on the surface
• Not completely clear, but shiny
• Smells sweet like cupcake icing that is green tea flavoured
• Buttery, green, milder in smell, seaweed is still a bit present, and white chocolate notes appear

 Taste:

• Lighter and more watery (still not enough to deter me)
• Cooked asparagus
• Light umami taste in cheek
• Unctuous with a roundness that is still exquisite, flowing, smooth and thick in mouth
• Less ample and full than the first steeping but remains long in the mouth
• A little astringency and very light bitterness to it

This tea would be my recommendation of the year if it weren't for the fact that the year is still young and I'm still hopeful. I'm waiting for this moment where I will sit, taste, and time will stop. I'll be shaken out of my marvellous torpor a few days later by an alarmed husband or a cat jumping on me thinking I'm a new scratching post that looks like the mistress.

Remember those links I shared on previous posts for yunomi coupons? well now is the time to try them and experience awe in the mouth! :)
Aufwiedersehen!

Houjicha 2012 by the Ogose Tea Farm - Green Tea Review

Edited post on the 22nd of August 2014 for the new tea blog

Hello readers!

I bought some teas last year around summer time and recently found that unopened package of Houjicha from Japan. I was blessed today with a baby-free day so I did a lot of things... Amongst them was to taste a new tea! I also received a nice book for Christmas: The Tea Drinker's Handbook by François-Xavier Delmas, Mathias Minet and Christine Barbaste. I noticed all those names were French so I wondered if this was a translation of a French version... After a little research it turned out that yes, the original is French and VERY pricy. I'll stick with the English one, thank you! It was the same for the "Thé" book versus "Tea", the translated version was much cheaper (which I purchased of course)! My tea-related book collection is starting to look very well. I own about 11 of them some even in German and some about etiquette, even one about a Japanese samurai's experience on tea. But enough of my vain and proud rambling about books, onward to tea!

For the tea review of today, I give it a 4/5, which is almost too high, but I found I just really liked how good this tea made me feel. I'd drink it every few days no problem (Gotta leave some space for other teas.)!

And just for reference, here is what I mean when I say the liquor colour is "ocre":

From Wikipedia about the colour "Ocre"

Houjicha 2012

By the Ogose Tea Farm in Japan

Dry leaf:

• Rough medium length and large needles
• Colours of dried autumn leaves: medium to dark greens and browns with a little light browns
• Dry feeling in the hand with a little spring left in it
• Smells of nuts, peanuts, cashews, sunflower seeds, sweet, earthy, honeyed nuts

1st Steeping (Senchado technique)
30 seconds - ~30 ml teacup of water - 1 heaped teaspoon - 100C

Liquor:

• Ocre colour with a little peach colour
• Dust at the bottom of the cup
• Clear and a little shiny
• Smells like sunflower seeds, smoke and hazelnuts
• Pollen sweet aroma

Taste:

• Cantaloupe attack, melon fruits, sweet
• Low astringency, powdery
• Medium-small body
• A bit silky (supple, slightly oily liquor)
• Watery texture
• Little smoked hazelnut taste that fades slowly

Wet leaves:

• Dark green and brown
• Very shiny
• Very aromatic (floral-like) like a cross between a lightly oxidized wulong and a little nutty like a longer oxidized wulong

2nd Steeping (Senchado technique)
15 seconds - ~30 ml teacup of water - 1 heaped teaspoon - 100C

 Liquor:

•  Lighter ocre-peach  colour than the 1st steeping
• Dust at the bottom of the cup
• Clear and a little shiny
• Smells almost floral like a short oxidized wulong
• Smells like smoked hazelnuts and (not smoked) sunflower seeds
• Pollen sweet aroma

Taste:

• Mild watered down hazelnut palate with a lingering sunflower seed taste
• A little more robust in the middle (as opposed to start and finish tastes) which gives it a slightly stronger body at that moment
• A bit silky, water texture
• A little sour finish not unlike green apples

While I think this tea definitely lacked body, I found that both steepings brought something interesting and worth tasting. That cantaloupe peak at the start of the first tasting was realy surprising and a little exiting! I didn't expect cantaloupe and I liked it. I found that the cantaloupe was more noticeable if I slurped the tea with a spoon so you might want to try that if you fail to find the taste. Then again, you might find something totally different and quite as interesting! I'd like to hear about that.
The 2nd steeping brought a bit more body, but just as I thought it was a bit boring, the sour green apple taste kicked in! Yum yum for green apples.

If you find yourself trying any Houjicha, don't be shy and share your thoughts on it!

Ja matta ne~